DATE : 19TH OF JANUARY 2021
Nobody is a film starring Bob Odenkirk which has it’s release slated for February of this year. We had an interaction with David Buckley who is the film’s Composer and now we talk to Araya Mengesha who has a supporting role in the actioner.
Araya Mengesha is a Canadian whose career have had roles in Sitcoms and now he speaks about starring in a Hollywood actioner.
You can follow him on his Instagram Page: @callmemistertibbs
Greetings Mr. Araya Mengesha, we at The Movie Culture are thrilled to have you. We couldn’t be more excited to see your work in Nobody.
Q. We’d like to start off this interview by asking you about Nobody, could you tell us about how your first got attached to the project as a whole?
Araya Mengesha: Thanks for having me. The process for getting involved with Nobody was a pretty quick one; I received an invitation to audition for the role of Pavel, they needed me to tape myself and send in the audition by the next morning. So, a friend of mine (who was also auditioning for the role) and I got together and took turns reading the other lines off-camera for each other. A few weeks later I got the call that I would be flying out west to start work. Couldn’t have been happier to get started.
Q. Nobody is jammed up with many actors and their respective characters. Tell us who you play and what can we expect?
Araya Mengesha: So, I play Pavel. I don’t think I can say too much, without giving away spoilers, but I play an Afro-Russian gangster that has a bone to pick Hutch (Bob Odenkirk’s character in the movie).
Q. As an actor, what do you think before daunting on a project such as Nobody or any for that matter?
Araya Mengesha: For me, the process changes depending on the needs of the project. But for roles that are further away from my lived experience; I start by researching the elements that I think are important in shaping the character and look for unique ways to make my role feel personal. That, and try to say all the words.
Q. Nobody is an actioner, how was it like to shoot one. Any difference between a Drama and an action film?
Araya Mengesha: I loved working on an action film. Seeing the work that the stunt coordinators and performers do is mind blowing. I’ve had the chance to work on projects that involved fights in the past and it’s always so much fun when I get to throw punches and fall down. Ultimately, it’s all storytelling, so we’re always looking for ways to tell the most interesting story and make the audience feel connected to the characters.
Q. Ilya Naishuller directed Hardcore Henry before daunting on this project, how was it like working with?
Araya Mengesha: Ilya was really great. My character speaks Russian for a lot of the scenes, so it was above and beyond for Ilya to personally help me learn the Russian and develop Pavel. He keeps such a cool head, film sets can be pressure cookers, so having someone who could handle things with the composure that he had kept everything running smoothly.
Q. Slew of A List Talents working on Nobody, any fan moments stories you might wanna tell us?
Araya Mengesha: Meeting Bob Odenkirk for the first time or David Leitch and Kelly McCormick, such a big fan of all of their work. I feel like I had a good professional face, but inside I was freaking out. I didn’t get a chance to work with him, but I got to meet Christopher Lloyd briefly and my inner kid was doing backflips.
Q. At this point of your career, what kind of movies you’d wanna compose going forward? Maybe a Tent-pole blockbuster?
Araya Mengesha: I want to be involved with exciting and moving projects. If that is a tent-pole blockbuster, I would be down for that, but indie projects about everyday experiences we all share are very exciting to me as well.
Q. What was the inspiration behind taking up Acting? Is there an Individual who inspired you or a Film?
Araya Mengesha: I started acting at 10 years-old. My older cousin was acting at the time and had decided to switch to directing just as an agent was trying to sign her, instead, she introduced that agent to me. I performed a scene from the Jim Carrey movie, “The Mask” (it’s the scene in the nightclub when the Mask first shows up and gets shot by the bad guys, he switches between a bunch of different characters as he’s “dying”, it was my favourite scene from a movie at the time). I’ve been acting ever since.
Q. The Movie Culture is situated in India so we need to ask this? Any Bollywood Films you have watched, something you could share with us?
Araya Mengesha: I wish I had a good answer for this, but maybe I can answer by asking for some favourites from you or your readers? I’m always looking to expand my film viewing, so give me the good stuff!
Q. Do you have any future projects lined up which you’d like to share with us and your fans?
Araya Mengesha: I have a couple of projects that I’ve written coming soon, but for now folks can find me in the new Netflix series Tiny Pretty Things.
Q. There’s a whole lot of competition in the industry, do you have any piece of advice which you’d like to share with talents reading this interview?
Araya Mengesha: My advice is to keep honing your craft; take classes, talk about the work with other artists, watch work that excites you, and most importantly keep going, (you never know when you’ll get the audition that kicks off your career).
With this we would like to wrap up with the interview questions.
The Movie Culture would indeed like to thank Araya Mengesha for agreeing to this wonderful interview.
The Movie Culture Synopsis
It’s always a joy to see Hollywood through the prism of a young talent and Mengesha offers such look into the world of Hollywood. It certainly looks like he had a great time shooting Nobody and the film in fact looks like a great success.
We can only hope Araya Mengesha’s other future projects too stand the test of time and success. For updates on Nobody Follow this space known as The Movie Culture.
